Syringes near Town Beach playground endangering kids’ lives

AN EAST Mackay family is calling on the council to clean up Town Beach after finding a syringe, used condoms and underwear on the pathway between the ocean and the playground.

Bethaney Martin said her children now wore shoes and walked behind her and her husband at the beach in case they came across another syringe.

"It was directly on the walkway that you use to get down to the beach," she said.

"We often find used condoms and underpants there as well, even in the kids' playground. It's a weekly thing."

She said she'd had to warn her children not to pick up rubbish.

"Absolutely, we've warned them.

"We always put thongs on them but that's not going to do much if they step on a needle."

Ms Martin called on the council to add lights along the walkway, saying it might help to deter "certain behaviour" at the beach.

"The whole strip needs more lighting," she said.

"We don't really want a sharps container there because that might draw people to using the beach for that sort of behaviour.

"It's even just general rubbish as well.

"Council added another wheelie bin about halfway along, which is great, but there's only the one and it's always overflowing."

Mackay Regional Council community services director Gerard Carlyon said if residents were unable to safely remove an abandoned sharp to immediately contact the council with the location details of the needle.